1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to the sharpening of knifes. It more particularly relates to a method and system for sharpening the blades of knifes to have a convex edge.
2. Background Art
There is no admission that the background art disclosed in this section legally constitutes prior art.
Knives are common household items. With typical use and/or abuse, the blade or cutting edge of the knife will lose some of its sharpness. Individuals using knives want them to be sharp and feel knives are safer to use when they are sharp. However, keeping the blade sharp is not easy and requires periodic sharpening. Some knife owners prefer to have their knives professional sharpened and other knife owners prefer to sharpen their own knives.
The edge of a blade can come in a variety of shapes with V-shaped edge, beveled edge, chisel edge, and convex edge being the most common. Of these edges the convex edge is typically considered the best because it combines a high performance edge, while maintaining the strength of the blade. However, drawbacks of the convex edge are its difficulty to manufacture and its difficulty to sharpen.
One method of sharpening a convex edge involves using a grinding wheel, a stone, or other non-resilient abrasive materials. When sharpening a convex edge using one these items, the blade must be appropriately rotated to maintain the convex shape of the edge. A considerable amount of skill is required to properly sharpen a convex edge in this manner.
Another method of sharpening a convex edge has been proposed, and involves using a mouse pad with sandpaper attached to one or both sides. This method is only mentioned in regards to sharpening blades with existing convex edges, and details surrounding its actual performance or technique are lacking.